William h



(No Model.)

W. H. H. TRACY.

SHIRT.

N0. 270,264. r Patented Ian. 9,1883.

UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. H. TEAoY, oE TROY, NEW YoRK,AssIGNoE 'ro JusTUs MILLER, OF sAME PLACE.

SHIRT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 270,264, dated January 9, 1883.

Application filed May 22,1882. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. H. TRACY, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Troy, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented a newand useful Improvement-in Shirts, of which the-following is a description.

This invention,which relates to certain improvelnents in the back and sleeves of shirts,

has for its object a threefold purpose, to wit: first, the diagonal cut in the back for the open second, in the angular-shapedoverlapping piece lor covering the back opening; and, third, saving of material and timein the manufacture of the overlapping pieces, as Well as to secure a better and nicer finished shirt. Iattain these objects by constructing the shirt in the mannerillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the back or sleeve of the shirt with the opening closed. Fig. 2 is the same with the shirt partly open. Fig. 3

. is a planview of the back or sleeve of the shirt with the faeings removed, showing the line of the cut. 7

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several parts and "iews.

The back or sleeve of the shirt is first cut open down the line A B, Fig. 3, which line is diagonal to a perpendicular or vertical line. A facing, A D, Fig. 2, may then be stitched to the shirt along the right-hand side ofthe opening; or the same may be hemmed or secured in any other suitable manner. The piece E F G H, (marked P.) suitably faced or ornamented, as desired, is then stitched or otherwise fastened to the shirt at the other side of the opening, and across its lower end below theopening to G. The piece P-is made wider at the bottom than at the top, and preferably of such a width that the line H G will form the same angle with a vertical line that the line E F does, which gives the piecea symmetrical and finished appearance. The piece laps overand conceals the opening, and is not likely to "gap open when in use, for the reason that the piece P is secured at the middle of its upper end by the button Kand stitched across its lower end to the point G, Which latter point is on the lapped side of the shirt and beyond to the right ot'the vertical line passing through the buttona distance equal to half the width of the piece from F to G. The greater this distance until it equals the length of the piece thelesslikely is the opening to gap. This will be easily understood by analyzing the forces acting upon the sides of the opening-that is, the piece P on one side and the facing on the other. We need not consider more than two forces: first,

the longitudinal or horizontal strain, which tends to separate or pull apart the two sides of the shirt and cause the opening to gap; second, the vertical strain, which tends to retain If the vertical strain were applied in the same vertical line at both top and bottom, and the horizontalstraiu at points midway between the top and-bottom, it is manifest that a very slight horizontal strain would overcome a very considerable vertical strain until the sides of the shirt had opened sutficiently to give the ver tieal strain sufficientlevera-ge to'overcome the horizontal.

Heretofore in making open-back shirts the opening has been out and made on a vertical line, and for the reasons above given the opening would gap and assume an uncomfortable and uncouth position; but by cutting the opening on a line diagonal to the vertical line the strain comes upon the button K and the points F and Gthat is, the moment the horizon tal strain acts upon the sides of the shirt to widen the opening the vertical strain'is all thrown upon the points F and G, and the farther apart these points are the more easily is the horizontal strain overcome and the shirt retained in the desired position.

Instead of cutting the opening on a diago nal line, a triangular piece or facing may be stitched or fastenedto the inner or underside of the opening, or any shaped piece'which will give the diagonal shape.

I The sleeveopenings are male just like the back-openings.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 'is- In ashirt, a back or sleeve opening cut into the body of the shirt or sleeve on a diagonal or oblique line, A B, in combination with an overlapping piece, 1, which piece is wider at its lower end than at its upper end, and is stitched at one side to and across its lower end to the body of the shirt, substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

7 WM. H. H. TRACY.

\Vitnesses:

GEO. A. MOSHER,

CHARLES I. BAKER. 

